Re: Of course!

Jesus did not create or CAUSE the circumstances of His death, the human race (human nature) did.

The legal authorities found no reason that Jesus should be found guilty of anything that was against the law of the land, meaning that the STATE (official justice) WAS NOT THE REASON Jesus was crucified. Pilate only ordered his guards that Jesus should be crucified because it was the particular custom of that particular day that one prisoner should be set free by the will of the people, so it was THE PEOPLE who were directly responsible, except for the fact that the people had no reason to dislike Jesus at all (Jesus was not a mean person and the people did not accuse Jesus of anything, remember, it was the pharisees who had accused Jesus). The only other prisoner who was due for exocution was Barabbas, the leader of the Zealots, and he had been convicted of murder. Barabbas was the one who should have been crucified that day, but the Zealots were a MILITANT activist group (not a PEACEFUL activist group) and wanted their leader to go free, so they incited the people to riot. In order to prevent a riot (which then Pilate would have had to answer to Caesar for a riot torn city,...NOT GOOD), Jesus ended up being crucified. So, if you really want to know who is REALLY responsible for Jesus being crucified (yes, the people were weak when they were encouraged to riot), you have to have the right attitude (the attitude that a TRUE Christian should have,...gentle, fair, loving, peaceful, and admire TRUTH). I wouldn't be anxious to hold Pilate guilty of "wrong" so that he should suffer a penalty (I'm not anxious for him to suffer at all, I'm a true Christian), I wouldn't be anxious that the people or even the pharisees should recieve a penalty (I'll let The Lord be the judge of what should happen to them), but I would say that it was the Zealots who caused the riots (and for a murderer, no less).

The Zealots were very MILITANT (always, they just weren't a peaceful, gentle people). As long as you are partisan (have a cause) and are MILITANT about it, you don't really have the gentle peacefulness in your heart and mind that The Lord requires of us.